The #ChiWaterWeek Calendar

5 days.

Dozens of events.

Hundreds of cross-sector water leaders.

Hosted by the Metropolitan Planning Council

Clean, safe, affordable water should be a given but it’s not—and that needs to change. Lead poisoning is a serious public health problem that is even more prevalent in Black and Brown communities. During this session, attendees learned about state and city solutions that also create jobs in the communities.

Speakers:

• Heather Steans, Illinois Senator (D-Chicago)
• Lamont J. Robinson, Illinois Rep. (D-Chicago) 
• Josh Ellis, Vice President, Metropolitan Planning Council
• Lindsay McCormick, Program Manager, Chemicals and Health Program, Environmental Defense Fund 
• Andrea Holthouse Cheng, Deputy Commissioner, City of Chicago Department of Water Management 

Watch the event here.

Hosted by DePaul University's Coleman Entrepreneurship Center

The Coleman Entrepreneurship Center hosted a talk with President and CEO of Living Water International, Mike Mantel, about the necessity and importance of safe water all over the world, and specifically in developing countries. Mike shared his experiences and how he and his team raise awareness, fundraise and mobilize people to come together to implement safe water in communities that desperately need it.

Attendees explored the power of water and its ability to transform peoples' lives by improving their health, sanitation, education, social justice issues, and overall livelihoods.

Presenters included:

• Bruce Leech, Executive Director, Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, DePaul University
• Mike Mantel, President and CEO, Living Water International
• Maija Renko, Professor and Coleman Chair of Entrepreneurship, DePaul University

Hosted by FLOW

This webinar focused on how impact investors can play an important role in accelerating innovations that address the water needs of the world’s most vulnerable communities. This repartee-style discussion emerged out of recent exchanges with individuals who have experience in communities that simply can’t afford technologies that ensure safer and healthier households, schools, and neighborhoods. Some innovations are high-tech, yet some have been around for ages; however, for many communities, innovative technology solutions to water quality and quantity challenges are simply elusive.

Hosted by the Center for Neighborhood Technology

The cost of water is on the rise due to decades of disinvestment in our community water supply, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure systems, resulting in water unaffordability challenges in many communities. However, water bills are not the only factor driving community unaffordability. As water infrastructure investment needs continue to rise, it is necessary to look at all aspects of a community’s cost of living to help households reach economic stability.

CNT’s Jen McGraw and Anna Wolf, and IB Environmental’s Stacey Isaac Berahzer discussed the state of water, community affordability, and provided an overview of our new water and community affordability action planning guide.

Hosted by the City of Chicago Department of Water Management

The City of Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) is responsible for providing nearly 1 billion gallons of drinking water each day to almost half the State of Illinois. Within the city limits alone, the DWM services a population of 2.7 million residents. Like many other utilities in the country, Chicago is faced with the challenges posed by aging water infrastructure, including the presence of hundreds of thousands of lead service lines connecting water mains to homes throughout the City. As part of the DWM’s commitment to ensuring good water quality and educating its residents, the DWM has offered Chicago residents free water lead testing since the 1980s. Due to an exponential increase in requests for water lead testing after the widely-publicized water issues in Flint, MI in 2016, the DWM streamlined its free testing program and adopted the system that exists today. This 311 Lead Testing Program has received over 88,000 requests since 2016 and continues to offer Chicago residents one of the most comprehensive free water lead testing services in the country.

Administering a program of this size requires extensive technical development and support. Managing the collection, storage, availability, and security of data is a critical part of the success of the program. For Chicago’s 311 Lead Testing Program, an advanced data management software was adopted, and dashboard enabled digital solutions were deployed. These solutions are able to link large data sets from different sources and compile data for analysis and reporting purposes. Interactive dashboards are utilized to visualize data and switch from “big-picture” to micro program metrics in just a few clicks. Presenting program data and performance indicators to stakeholders including engineers, utility management, and elected officials is an effective way to help make real-time, data-driven decisions.

Hosted by Third Coast Disrupted, a collaboration between Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University’s Institute for Nature and Culture, and Terracom

More frequent intense rainstorms and flooding are among the devastating and costly impacts of the Chicago region’s changing climate. Like other effects, they hit communities of color hardest. This event discussed the health concerns, from a personal and public health perspective, as well as the local public-private partnerships and government efforts that provide relief and increase resilience.

• Elena Grossman, Program Director, BRACE-Illinois, and Third Coast Disrupted scientist
• N. Masani Landfair, Third Coast Disrupted Artist
• Daniella Pereira, Vice President of Community Conservation, Openlands
• Debra Shore, Commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

This program was presented in conjunction with Third Coast Disrupted: Artists + Scientists on Climate, an art exhibition taking place at Columbia College Chicago's Glass Curtain Gallery. Learn more here.

Watch the event here.

Hosted by Shedd Aquarium 

Lake Michigan, the Chicago River, and numerous creeks and wetlands are home to a diversity of aquatic life in our backyard. The Shedd Aquarium Conservation staff explored the innovative ways in which they are working with partners to address threats to these environments and the animals that call them home. From transforming applied science into impactful policy and creative use of technology, to mobilizing communities to act for animals, they emphasized the need to restore and preserve Chicagoland’s waterways for wildlife and people.

Watch the event here (passcode: +X9$PKE@).

Hosted by Greeley and Hansen

The Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) provides safe drinking water to approximately 42% of the population of Illinois. Fortunately for the region, Chicago has a vast supply of quality source water and a robust treatment and distribution system. This panel discussed Chicago’s water availability and quality and its impact on the regional economy. DWM leaders and local industry experts shared their perspectives on leading, managing, and operating a utility and water system in order to provide proactive leadership and implement a robust capital program in alignment with a regulatory strategy that is required to effectively lead and manage a Utility for the Future. Challenges, opportunities, lessons learned, and future directions were discussed. As the water industry evolves, so do the expectations of the communities water utilities serve. The DWM is leading the way in meeting those expectations; this includes expectations of job creation, diversity, social justice, affordability, and business incentives, as well as the outcomes of water quantity abundance, water quality excellence, and efficient delivery through a multi-faceted CIP and operational strategies.

Panel Moderator:

• Michael Hope, P.E., Executive Vice President, Greeley and Hansen

Panelists:

• Randy Conner, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Water Management
• Andrea R.H. Cheng, Ph.D., P.E., Deputy Commissioner, Water Supply, Chicago Department of Water Management
• Bulent Agar, P.E., Deputy Commissioner, Engineering and Design, Chicago Department of Water Management
• Douglas Yerkes, Ph.D., P.E., Executive Vice President, Greeley and Hansen
• Michael Sutton, P.E., President and CEO, Infrastructure Engineering Inc.

Hosted by Plan Heal

Plan Heal held an important and engaging conversation about water access and urban food production. Panelists engaged with questions from audience viewers to discuss:

• Global water sustainability goals/data share 
• How water access helps some Chicagoans access fresh produce 
• Water advocacy to support urban farmers

Moderator:

• Tammy McMiller, Co-Founder & CEO, Plan Heal

Panelists:

• Magdalena Zlatkova, President, United Nations of Chicago 
• Sam Koentopp, Program Manager and Ilana Marder-Epstein, Program Coordinator, Big Green Chicago 
• Sean Ruane, Executive Director, Advocates for Urban Agriculture

Hosted by the LIFT Committee of Illinois Water Environment Association

This fun activity served as a break where teams worked together while raising money for a terrific organization – H2O for Life - that offers service-learning opportunities to engage, educate and inspire youth to solve the global water crisis! It delivered a variety of fun and challenging questions and quality networking time. Attendees registered individually or as a team. There were a few questions related to the webinar on the Intelligent Water Systems held just before Trivia... hmm!